Levon Helm Hospitalized

The Poughkeepsie Journal reported that Helm is expected to make a full recovery.

“Levon came down with a little bit of a cold this week and because he’s got COPD [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease], a little bit of a cold to you and me is a lot more serious for him,” Levon Helm Band manager Barbara O’Brien told the Poughkeepsie Journal.

“We took him to the hospital today. He’s going to be fine. He’s in the city. He’s with his specialist, but he’s not going to be here tonight … He is so upset that he can’t be here.”

On Monday O’Brien told the Daily Freeman that the Grammy award-winning musician is expected to be released from the hospital within a few days.

O’Brien noted that Helm’s cold is “totally unrelated” to the throat cancer he was diagnosed with in the late 1990s.

Saturday’s show went on without Helm. Levon Helm Studio Chief Engineer Justin Guip filled in on the drums.

Although O’Brien offered the crowd refunds or the option to exchange tickets for another show, she said 99 percent of fans stayed for the performance. The Wood Brothers opened the show for the Levon Helm Band.

The Midnight Ramble Sessions take place at Levon Helm Studios, otherwise known as “The Barn,” which is attached to Helm’s home. The property is located in the Catskill Mountains near a large lake. According to Helm’s website, the shows are inspired by the “southern medicine shows of his youth” and usually run about four hours.

According to Spinner.com, the sessions have previously featured Willie Nelson, My Morning Jacket, Drive-By Truckers and Phil Lesh amongst its special guests.

The next Midnight Ramble Session is set for Saturday with Shemekia Copeland and Alejandro Escovedo opening for the Levon Helm Band. The 2011 shows have already booked Carolyn Wonderland, The Dirty Guvnahs, Steve Guyger and Lucinda Williams as special guests.

Click here for Levon Helm’s website.

Click here for the Poughkeepsie Journal story.

Click here for the Daily Freeman story.